24 Hours in Police Custody fans have been left gutted as fan favourite Tom Hamm revealed he’s left the show.
Detective Sergeant Tom Hamm has announced he’s officially retired after more than 22 years of police service and seven years on the show.
He shared the news with his fans on social media this week, writing: “So tonight is likely to be my last appearance on #24hoursinpolicecustody.
“I hope that the episodes I have appeared in have somehow influenced people by showing the difficulties that police face when investigating crime. Thanks for the support.”
Tom’s followers were devastated by the news.
One wrote: “Happy retirement Tom, I bet all the free time you get will be a breath of fresh air.”
A second said: “Happy retirement Tom! Love the series, its great to see what goes on behind the scenes. Time to relax now.”
“The series won’t be the same without you working on the team. Well done to your team and everyone else who was involved,” this person posted.
The last episode featured a 17-year-old boy was left for dead under a railway bridge, suffering traumatic brain injuries.
Police originally thought he was a victim of a hit-and-run in Luton in June 2022.
They boy survived but had life-changing injuries.
Tom, who worked for Bedfordshire Police, said: “This case, for me was quite emotional because the victim was a twin and I have twin boys of similar ages to him and the parallel of how my children’s lives and the difficulties and circumstances of his life was something that played on my mind.”
“I could put myself in the position of his parents and how I would feel if I got that knock on the door from a police officer saying one of them had been hurt.
“This, by the grace of God, could be me.
“And I understand how it would affect the other twin.
“They do share a different bond than other siblings I think.
“Knowing how close mine are, if one of them is suddenly not there, it does affect them deeply.”
He had another reason to feel personally attached because of an enduring regret over the loss in quick succession of first his father and then his mother.
Tom’s personal feelings are evident in the two-part documentary, 24 Hours in Police Custody, in which he and his team investigate the mystery of why a 17-year-old boy was left critically injured on the roadside after suffering catastrophic head injuries.
“Initially, we didn’t know who the victim was, and we were working hard to establish his identity,” says Tom, who has now retired from Luton CID after 22 years of service.
At first, it looked like a hit and run but as all the injuries were to his head, medics believed they were inconsistent with a car collision.
When the victim’s twin brother arrived at the police station, he told them that he believed his brother had come to Luton from London to meet a girl.
But then he learnt on social media that he had been involved in some sort of altercation,
With the victim lying in hospital in a life-threatening coma, Tom told his team their priority was to get his family by his bedside as soon as possible.
He discovered that the case was linked to a county line drugs trade, where drugs are moved between different part of the country.
Hamid was found guilty of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm and was sentenced to 10 years and nine months in jail.
Jasmine Aldrich was also charged with conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm but was found not guilty.